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Covid-19 And Procrastination: The Struggle To Stay Motivated In A Pandemic, Singapore Management University Jun 2020

Covid-19 And Procrastination: The Struggle To Stay Motivated In A Pandemic, Singapore Management University

Social Space

COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of countless internships, travel plans, summer jobs, music concerts and festivals, graduations, conferences, you name it. Fixed deadlines have become fluid, and both short-term and long-term goals are presently at the mercy of something far beyond our control. In the face of a global pandemic, we may find ourselves wondering, “Why bother planning for anything anyway?" Yet this very mindset is the crux of the coronavirus procrastination problem, says CHARDONNAY NEEDLER.


Humanity, Above All: Facing Covid-19 With Altruism, Compassion And Empathy, Michael Jenkins Jun 2020

Humanity, Above All: Facing Covid-19 With Altruism, Compassion And Empathy, Michael Jenkins

Social Space

In Singapore, we have seen many examples of altruism, compassion and empathy taking place during this challenging COVID-19 period. These ACE attributes, as I call them, are instances of humanity in action.


Living And Learning In A Lockdown: 5 Ways To Stay Productive And Entertained At Home, Ishan Singh May 2020

Living And Learning In A Lockdown: 5 Ways To Stay Productive And Entertained At Home, Ishan Singh

Social Space

If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me that staying at home is tougher than it seems. For introverts like myself, hunkering indoors should come naturally—even pre-coronavirus, I didn't get out a whole lot. Yet the experience has turned out to be very different when hanging out at home becomes less of a pastime and more of national responsibility.


What Makes A Good Person?, Ishan Singh Apr 2020

What Makes A Good Person?, Ishan Singh

Social Space

A few weeks ago, my editor sent me this New York Times article about “how to be good”, asking if I'd be interested to pen a commentary based on a similar premise. It seemed easy enough at the time, so I readily agreed. But once I got down to actually thinking about the subject, I found myself at a loss for words.


Covid-19 Has Rewritten Social Narratives. What We Now Need Is A Unifying Mindset, Arthur Adimoelia Apr 2020

Covid-19 Has Rewritten Social Narratives. What We Now Need Is A Unifying Mindset, Arthur Adimoelia

Social Space

As COVID-19 cases climb into the millions and the world scrambles to contain its spread, many fingers are pointed at different members of society for not taking social distancing and other mitigating measures seriously.


Art Attack! Tanya Wilson's Creative Mission To Engage Children On Social Issues, Singapore Management University Apr 2020

Art Attack! Tanya Wilson's Creative Mission To Engage Children On Social Issues, Singapore Management University

Social Space

Meet Tanya Wilson, 41, co-founder of EYEYAH!, an interactive platform that uses visually arresting design and artworks to educate children on important social issues like internet safety, healthy eating, mental health, climate change and so on. The mother of two primary-school-aged daughters is no stranger to the creative industry, having spent two decades developing content and experiences for the likes of Netflix, Facebook, Nike, Coca-Cola, Tiger Beer and Heineken. These days, Tanya and her co-founder Steve Lawler are busy equipping young learners with creative thinking skills which, they believe, are essential to solving the world's complex challenges. ISHAN SINGH …


Arts For Community Development In Singapore, Kar Yee Lim Jul 2019

Arts For Community Development In Singapore, Kar Yee Lim

Social Space

In the National Arts Council’s Report on the Arts and Culture Strategic Review,4 it emphasised the importance of promoting social cohesion across population segments via arts and cultural initiatives. It further stated its objective to bring the arts to everyone, everywhere and every day; and to build capabilities to achieve excellence.


Die-Logue: Elderly Isolation And The Need To Talk About Death, Mark Lin Jan 2018

Die-Logue: Elderly Isolation And The Need To Talk About Death, Mark Lin

Social Space

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the elderly population of Singapore—often manifested as articles about the “silver tsunami” as well as an ageing population’s impact on the economy, workforce and healthcare. However, there are much fewer discussions that touch on how a growing number of people are dying, and how these deaths can pose signifi cant challenges in themselves. At the macro level, the general belief is that an economy can be kept going as long as businesses raise productivity and expand their market presence through “gamechanging” innovations. However, when it comes to addressing a problem like …


Special Delivery: An Afternoon With Three Ladies Behind Mamre Oaks, Han Peng Ho, Trang Delos Luu, Geraldine Szeto, Magdelene Yip, Diana Low Jan 2018

Special Delivery: An Afternoon With Three Ladies Behind Mamre Oaks, Han Peng Ho, Trang Delos Luu, Geraldine Szeto, Magdelene Yip, Diana Low

Social Space

Initiatives and groups vested in promoting the well-being of people with disabilities have been on the rise in Singapore—many focus on the school-going age group, with a smaller number catering to adults with disabilities. Besides raising awareness for a more inclusive society, such organisations often provide meaningful social engagement, skills training, employment opportunities and/or caregiver support for their membership and the larger community.


The Inclusion Index: Common Terms In The Discourse Of Social Inclusion, Trang Luu Jan 2018

The Inclusion Index: Common Terms In The Discourse Of Social Inclusion, Trang Luu

Social Space

The equal availability of services, facilities, opportunities and resources to people belonging to disadvantaged groups.


Social Stratosphere: Hot Topics And Happenings In Social Innovation, Tamara Prabhakar, Trang Delos Luu Jan 2018

Social Stratosphere: Hot Topics And Happenings In Social Innovation, Tamara Prabhakar, Trang Delos Luu

Social Space

Ever heard of a kind of handmade paper that lasts up to 800 years? The extremely durable Dó paper—made from the bark of the Rhamnoneuron balansae and traditionally produced in Vietnam—is renowned for its durability and resilience, and famous for being the canvas for Vietnamese folk art paintings. However, the meticulous manufacturing process of Dó paper, involving up to 100 steps, is fast becoming obsolete due to the rise in mass-produced goods. Wishing to revitalise this industry, Tran Hong Nhung founded the social enterprise Zo Project, which aims to support the livelihoods of artisans and promote the papermaking trade. Not …


In All Fairness: Two Decades Of Cedaw And The State Of Gender Equality In Singapore, Ning Qian Jan 2018

In All Fairness: Two Decades Of Cedaw And The State Of Gender Equality In Singapore, Ning Qian

Social Space

In an inclusive society, all women would have equal opportunities as men to participate socially, politically and economically. They would be valued and recognised as individuals in their own right and not primarily defi ned by their marital and reproductive status. Has this been achieved in Singapore? Contrary to common belief, the nation still has some ways to go in this regard, for signifi cant groups of women in Singapore continue to be marginalised and disadvantaged.


Reconciling The Divide: A Chat With Bill Drayton On Social Inclusion, Tamara Prabhakar, Bill Drayton Jan 2018

Reconciling The Divide: A Chat With Bill Drayton On Social Inclusion, Tamara Prabhakar, Bill Drayton

Social Space

Within the confi nes of day-to-day routines, it is often diffi cult to cognitively grasp the exponential rate at which the social and industrial sectors are changing. In recent years, the rising prominence of social entrepreneurship is trending as an evolved, levelling collaborative model for solving social problems more effectively than traditionally rigid hierarchical structures of management. Social entrepreneurs hold the distinct ability to innovate and form novel solutions based on their fi rst-hand cultural knowledge and experiences rather than from popular generalised perceptions or indirect comprehension of situations from diffused information.


Bully Be Gone: What Is Workplace Bullying And Why Does It Matter?, Lynne Curry Jan 2018

Bully Be Gone: What Is Workplace Bullying And Why Does It Matter?, Lynne Curry

Social Space

We have all met at least one in the course of our careers. He, or she, is the angry, aggressive bully who insults you to your face and behind your back. You would expect that at some point they would tire of this behaviour, but bullies thrive on demeaning and belittling you. Meanwhile, being bullied saps your emotional and physical energy until you fi nally resign from a job you once loved.


New School: Can We Rethink Education For An Inclusive Future?, Chris Oestereich Jan 2018

New School: Can We Rethink Education For An Inclusive Future?, Chris Oestereich

Social Space

It is not always easy to give career advice to young people. In my time, there were virtual paths laid out for youths. Most of them started similarly. Go to school. Work hard. Get good grades. Squeeze in admirable activities. Decide what you want to be for the rest of your life. (The last bit was tricky.) Based on these, people chose a fork in the road that they believed would suit them and then made the best of it, earned a degree and then set off to start their careers. Not everyone had the chance to head down these …


Generation "P": Philippines' Millennial Impact Entrepreneurs, Jinky Tuliao, Zen Bin, Vivienne Zerrudo Jan 2017

Generation "P": Philippines' Millennial Impact Entrepreneurs, Jinky Tuliao, Zen Bin, Vivienne Zerrudo

Social Space

"Millennials"—broadly defined as those born between 1980 and 2000— are a dynamic driving force behind any country’s economic progress, but particularly so in the Philippines. Making up about 50 per cent of the national population, Philippine millennials are mainly employed in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which in turn account for over 99 per cent of all local businesses.


The Project Runway: Cheryl Chong On Getting Your Social Initiative Off The Ground, Cheryl Chong Jan 2017

The Project Runway: Cheryl Chong On Getting Your Social Initiative Off The Ground, Cheryl Chong

Social Space

Cheryl Chong is co-founder of The Social Co., the team behind the 50 For 50 project that brought together more than 80 young people under the age of 35, and 70 corporations to raise awareness of and funds for lesserknown causes such as mental health, suicide prevention and charities that serve those with physical and mental disabilities. Cheryl currently chairs the Young Women's Leadership Connection (YWLC) and lends a hand in programme development at Jia Foundation, a family foundation established by the Lim and Lin families. In her day job, she heads the private investor division of equity and debt …


The Business Of Giving, Eunice Low, Christian Petroske Jan 2017

The Business Of Giving, Eunice Low, Christian Petroske

Social Space

Paul Dunn is shaping a new generation of socially conscious businesses by providing a sustainable platform that connects company with cause. When it comes to giving, Paul Dunn means business—literally. As the chairman of Buy1Give1 (B1G1), the 72-year-old oversees a social enterprise devoted to making business philanthropy a more effortless process. A firm believer that it is in giving that one receives (joy, that is), he tells EUNICE RACHEL LOW and CHRISTIAN PETROSKE how joy, rather than duty or guilt, sustains giving corporations.


Pay For Social And Impact Bonds In Singapore, Richard Edwards, Kevin Tan Jan 2017

Pay For Social And Impact Bonds In Singapore, Richard Edwards, Kevin Tan

Social Space

Measurably Improving the Lives of People Most in Need


Sofi 101: Understanding Social Finance, Christian Petroske, Florian Parzhuber, Haneol Jeong, John Kinsella, Maaya Murakami, Mitchell Laferriere, Remi Cordelle Jan 2017

Sofi 101: Understanding Social Finance, Christian Petroske, Florian Parzhuber, Haneol Jeong, John Kinsella, Maaya Murakami, Mitchell Laferriere, Remi Cordelle

Social Space

What is social finance? Rachel Kalbfleisch of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) defines it as a collection of approaches to managing money that create value for society or the environment, often while producing a financial return,1 while the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing calls it “an approach to managing money to solve societal challenges”.2 In other words, social finance is a movement that covers various ways of using finance—via socially responsible investments, micro-loans, community investments, and so on—to achieve a social or environmental impact. Who is involved in this process? While charities, socially driven businesses and governments all work …


Your Burning Changemaking Questions - Answered, Jiezhen Wu Jan 2017

Your Burning Changemaking Questions - Answered, Jiezhen Wu

Social Space

To be or not to be? That may (or may not) be your question. In ASK ME ANYTHING, readers write in with their social innovation queries, and the Social Space team finds a changemaker to answer them. In this issue, we pose these inquiries to JIEZHEN WU of THE HIDDEN GOOD.


The Might Of Millennials, Christopher Cheok Jan 2017

The Might Of Millennials, Christopher Cheok

Social Space

Throughout history, young people have been the energy and driving force of change in society. Today, that is all the more true. With the prevalence of social media, youth and young adults have the unique ability to infl uence others, and to a greater extent than parents or schools can. Since they are able to shape attitudes and values so greatly, it is important to empower youth with the necessary knowledge and tools to be a force for good, and to make positive contributions to society. Young people have shown their ability to create change and broad awareness of social …


Youth And Social Media: Power To Empower?, Sujith Kumar Prankumar Jan 2017

Youth And Social Media: Power To Empower?, Sujith Kumar Prankumar

Social Space

Much has been written on social media and how it has positively revolutionised communication and information transmission. The infl uence of social media is indubitable—it reaches anyone with an Internet connection, no matter their geographic location or socioeconomic status. This means information that was previously out of reach for isolated and less well-off communities is now accessible by more people than ever before. For example, University College London’s “Why We Post” social media anthropology project—conducted by nine researchers in nine different communities over 15 months—found that communities that have traditionally received comparatively lower levels of schooling now have access to …


The Young And Restless: Re-Examining Media Portrayals Of Youth, Shee Siew Ying Jan 2017

The Young And Restless: Re-Examining Media Portrayals Of Youth, Shee Siew Ying

Social Space

From TV programmes, to newspapers, books and magazines, traditional media’s depictions of youth have tended to dwell on either sides of two extremes: hapless victims or violent perpetrators.


Hot Topics And Happenings In Social Innovation, Florian Parzhuber Jan 2017

Hot Topics And Happenings In Social Innovation, Florian Parzhuber

Social Space

WALK THE TALK Do you take your ability to speak, sing or swallow for granted? For individuals with speech impediments, simple actions like taking a sip of tea or saying hello can be diffi cult, or even impossible. However, speech therapy can help strengthen the muscles responsible for making sounds and swallowing, and equips affected persons with strategies to improve verbal communication, and to make eating and drinking safer. To combat Cambodia’s lack of speech therapy and therapists, Australia-born Weh Yeoh founded OIC Cambodia, a charity dedicated to making speech therapy available to the local people. Himself a professionally trained …


Collective Philanthropy: The Strength Of Giving Together, Rob John Jan 2017

Collective Philanthropy: The Strength Of Giving Together, Rob John

Social Space

Giving to charity has never been a solitary activity in any culture. People have joined together to give for millennia. In Asia, clan associations, religious groups or just friends have enjoyed the benefits of giving as a group. But there appears to be a renaissance of collective giving with the advent of more organised, strategic and outcome-focused philanthropy. At the Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy (ACSEP) where I am presently based, our research team’s curiosity about giving circles was first piqued when investigating the nature of innovation in Asian philanthropy in 2012.1 In that study, we reported several …


A Quick Guide To Social Change Buzzwords, Jay Boolkin Jan 2017

A Quick Guide To Social Change Buzzwords, Jay Boolkin

Social Space

Social Impact, Intrapreneurship, Benefit Corporation, Shared Value— these are just a few of the many buzzwords that get thrown around in the social arena. But what do these terms mean and how do we apply them? JAY BOOLKIN of socialgoodstuff.com has come up with a handy guide that demystifies the myriad jargon and fanfare surrounding social change.


Increasing Energy Acces In Southeast Asia Through Social Enterprises, Haneol Jeong Jan 2017

Increasing Energy Acces In Southeast Asia Through Social Enterprises, Haneol Jeong

Social Space

The 21st century has seen cars go driverless and virtual reality become a reality—yet one fact remains: one in seven people still do not have access to electricity.1 In an age where more people have access to mobile phones than toilets,2 electricity has become as vital a necessity as clean water. To address this issue, social enterprises such as M-KOPA and Sunlabob have pioneered efforts to provide renewable energy for off-grid communities, and yielded innovative energy alternatives and financing solutions. Southeast Asia, however, remains a largely untapped market, with approximately 19 per cent of its population still without access to …


Investing In Impact: A Perspective On Social Impact Bonds, Rashika Ranchan Jan 2017

Investing In Impact: A Perspective On Social Impact Bonds, Rashika Ranchan

Social Space

Innovation is inherently risky: even if not all interventions work, social impact bonds can help to accelerate the rate of learning about which approaches work better than others.


Scaling Impact Investing Through Innovative Finance: A Focus On Women's Livelihoods, Durreen Shahnaz Jan 2017

Scaling Impact Investing Through Innovative Finance: A Focus On Women's Livelihoods, Durreen Shahnaz

Social Space

I embarked on a journey from the first steps of my career to utilise finance to do good for the world. This journey has now turned into a global movement that is taking the world by a storm, known as impact investing or social finance.